Since I haven’t seen any American Indian movies lately, I decided to
expand the category a bit. I’ll be looking at two movies this month. One
involves indigenous people, the other features Indians.
"Whale Rider" came out in 2002. According to legend, the founding
father, Paikea arrived in Aotearoa (“The Land of The Long White Cloud”
or New Zealand) riding on the back of a whale. In honor of this feat,
each tribal chief is given the name Paikea at birth. Some experts say
the Maori arrived on their island around 1350.
Koro is now the trial chief. He is very traditional. Koro is worried
about the direction Maori society is taking. His first born son,
Porourangi, is an artist. Porourangi understands his father’s concerns,
but, he feels burdened by the weight of the responsibility of having to
follow in Koro’s footsteps. Porourangi’s wife dies giving birth to their
twin boy and girl. The boy dies, as well. Koro is so devastated by the
death of the first-born boy that he has difficulty even acknowledging
the girl. Porourangi reacts to his father’s scorn by naming his daughter
Paikea. This affront to tradition drives a wedge between father and son.
"Whale Rider" is the story of this Maori girl trying to come to grips
with her destiny.
Porourangi’s problems with his father, and his sorrow over the loss of
his wife and son cause him to leave. He becomes a successful artist
abroad. Paikea grows up living with her grandparents. Koro grows to love
his granddaughter deeply. Paikea loves her grandfather with a deep
intensity. She shares his faith in the old ways.
Paikea wishes to participate fully in Maori society. Unfortunately, many
of the old ways limit what a woman can do. It is this conflict that is
the driving force of the story. Koro believes there is a proper place
for things in his society. Paikea is eleven when Koro learns that his
son has no plans to give him a grandson. Koro decides to train the other
first-born young men in the ancient ways. Paikea wants to participate in
the training. Paikea believes she should be able to do those things
that she is capable of doing. The spirits within her motivates Paikea,
and she will not take “No” for an answer.
This clash is between two people who both honor the old ways. They just
disagree on how they should be implemented. It is a multi-layer conflict
involving what both Koro and Paikea want, what they have, and what they
believe their people need.
This is a beautifully crafted film. You should be moved by the honesty
of the characters. The acting is excellent. The scenery is gorgeous. The
movie was shot in the exact spot where the legendary Paikea came
ashore. Whale Rider’s director Niki Caro said that all of the people in
the movie who are not lead characters are the descendents of Paikea.
"Whale Rider" is based on the book of the same name by Maori author Witi
Ihimaera.
Anyone who has ever considered the problems that American Indian nations
face regarding tradition verses modernity, or a culture in transition,
will find a common theme in this movie.
I highly recommend it. You can find it listed on my store page at
http://americanindian.net/store.html , on Netflix, and in most good
video rental stores.
We have all heard the expression that we aren’t Indians, because Indians
come from India. So, in that vein, I have reviewed a movie made in
India: "Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India."
Lagaan means Tax, and the movie revolves around the payment of a tax.
The story is pretty simple. The time is 1893. The setting is the small
agricultural village of Champaner. The province is ruled by a native
Raja (a kind of prince). The British rule India. The British tell the
Rajas that they will protect them from each other. For this service,
they require a tax, or Lagaan. The Raja must pass this tax along to the
farmers in his province as a fixed amount of grain. It is a month into
the rainy season, and it has not rained, yet. The previous year, the
crop yield was also bad. In fact, the Raja convinced the British to only
take half of their usual Lagaan. The local British commander, Captain
Andrew Russell is an arrogant, prig. He lords his position over the
Indians whenever he gets the chance. A local man, named Bhuvan, draws
the Captain’s ire. The Captain decides the Lagaan must be twice its
normal level because of last year’s reduction. Since the rains have not
come, the farmers cannot pay such an amount. They appeal to the Raja to
ask the British for a continued reduction because of the drought. The
assembled group of farmers tries to see the Raja. They have to wait
until he is finished watching the British play cricket. The farmers are
a bit baffled with the game, until one of them reminds them that it is
similar to a child’s game they once played. Captain Russell overhears
Bhuvan laughing about how silly the game looks. When the game is over,
the farmers approach the Raja and the Captain. They plead their case for
a reduction, instead of a doubling of the tax.. The Captain refuses.
Seeing Bhuvan, the Captain comes up with a proposal. He will cancel the
tax for three years, for the entire province, if the farmers can beat
the British at this “silly game.” However, if the farmers lose, they
must pay triple the normal tax. The Captain asks Bhuvan if he will
accept the bet. The farmers ask the Raja to intervene. The Captain tells
them Bhuvan must decide for them all. Despite the multitude’s pleas to
the contrary, Bhuvan accepts the bet. The rest of the movie is about how
Bhuvan tries to get the support of the villagers, create a team, and to
beat the British. Simple, right?
The 3 hour 44 minute, epic Lagaan is the “Gone With The Wind” of Indian
cinema. As far as I know, it remains the most expensive movie ever
produced in India’s prolific Bollywood. The movie is an amazing blend of
color, sights and sounds. This movie has it all. There are fighting
neighbors, racial injustice, revenge, treachery, religious conflicts,
militancy, tradition, arrogance, humility, cowards, heroes, braggers,
bashfulness, fortune tellers, young lovers, jealousy, class warfare,
cruelty, kindness, and more...all in this little village. Not only that,
they all can sing and dance. There are five musical numbers with some
very catchy tunes.
There is one problem for the average English-speaking viewer. The movie
is in Hindu. There are English captions, though.
I first saw this movie about a year ago on cable TV. Otherwise, I might
never have found it. I jokingly call it "Dances With Wolves” meets Burt
Reynold’s “The Longest Yard."
I also give this movie a great big thumbs up. You can find it listed on
my store page at http://americanindian.net/store.html , and on
Netflix. You will may not be able to find it in many video rental
stores.
You can buy a copy of this movie, through the links below. Click on the title for information, click on "Buy" to order a copy.
Click on one of the underlined phrases below to go to that page.